route_1065 | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Who: Dist (

ortion), Dr. Kato (

katostrophic), and Nagi Naoe (

unkinder)
Where: Goldenrod Rocket base, Division D in the labs
When: 10/13
Summary: Dist and Kato want to test Nagi's skills and make sure they're being used in the right places if they decide to give him some serious computer work down the road.
Rating: PG
Log:

[It's been a rather ordinary day down in Division D so far. Dist and Kato have been working diligently on their various projects, but today they've set aside some time for something a little more pressing. With Nagi back in town, they finally have the chance to test him on the special console they prepared some weeks ago.

When Dist was talking about Nagi, Kato brought up a good point that they need to make sure he won't be able to hack into extremely important information down the road if he's going to work in the labs. After all, Team Rocket is filled with plenty of untrustworthy people so it's good to be safe than sorry. Thus, they put together a console with various levels of virtual locks and encryptions of their combined designs. Depending on how far Nagi can get, they'll know how well to lock away their own files, and they'll also know just how good Nagi is at it. So in actuality, it's just as much of a test on their security skills as it is Nagi's hacking skills.

So not too long after texting with Nagi, Dist finishes up his quicker tasks on the to-do list and tracks down Kato to give him the news. He wasn't exactly very far from the main office though, as expected.]

Ah, there you are, Kato. It looks like Nagi is going to be able to make it down here today. Are you ready to test him?

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[It's almost poetic, how the self-destruct sequence went off without a hitch. Dist makes a note to commend Kato on that later. Well, that happening wasn't the goal exactly—in a perfect world for Nagi he would've conquered the first set of codes—but it tells Dist and Kato that their combined programming continues to be sound and effective, and that is just as useful to know.

Dist does all he can to hold back a chuckle. After all, he's trying to be professional here because this is a legitimate test to see if Nagi can take on further projects from them. It doesn't do a whole lot of good to continuously harass the kid in case he does come through.

Honestly, this test is giving him plenty of pressure as it is.]

Oh dear, that is most unfortunate, Nagi. You almost had it, too.

[He's feigning surprise, like that totally wasn't expected.]

I suggest you follow Kato's advice. Rein in your concentration and don't allow yourself any more mistakes, otherwise you'll work yourself into a corner. I'm sure you wouldn't want that, mm?

[Because then it would basically be game over, and it would be Nagi picking up the pieces of his shattered confidence rather than the smug pair standing behind him.]

[To his credit, Kato actually falls silent for a moment to allow Nagi to concentrate; after all, if he's really going to test their system, he needs to be able to perform at his full, focused ability. He can't be too sure that such a thing is possible any more, however; the code rebooting itself has clearly shaken the boy, and the sounds of his fingers slamming the keyboard practically echo around the room.

Kato can't really bring himself to feel any sympathy. Shifting wordlessly over to Dist, he leans in close so he can whisper in his ear - not that he thinks Nagi is in any state to eavesdrop, but it can't hurt.]

Looks like we going to win this one.

[The clock is ticking on; if Nagi doesn't manage to get through this section of code in the next ten seconds, he'll be faced with yet another blue screen full of errors, and another reboot. Another failure, and the time will shorten again, to the point where only seconds will separate the reboots...

Will he give up? Or will he fight until the end? That's going to be the interesting part.

8...7...6...]

[Those ten seconds may as well have been ten years as far as he was concerned. Nagi can hear Dist saying something to him while he works, but the meaning doesn't really register. What does ring clear, however, is his tone that carries a certain air of amusement that would have infuriated him if his focus wasn't currently elsewhere. Likewise, Kato's voice is lost as a distant buzzing as he types, jaw set and teeth gritted so hard his skull aches.

But he almost has it this time, he knows it. Just a few more-

ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR

That sickening blue screen flashes up so suddenly that it makes Nagi's eyes burn and his head swim. His hands skid off of the surface of the keyboard, one hand jostling the mouse. By the time he's righted himself the screen is back to normal, presenting him with an entirely new set of codes.

How long had that been? Surely less time than before. If he had just ten more seconds, he would have...could have...

Nagi sets back to work on the new codes with heavy hands, arms like lead and the icy stabs of panic threatening to overwhelm him as he types. How much time did he lose? One minute? Five? He feels body give a painful start every few times he blinks, fooled into thinking that the screen has changed blue again. It could at any second.

He gets halfway through, sweat rolling down the side of his face that he doesn't have time to wipe away. The code appears columns at a time in fierce relief against the dark screen, and-

ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR

There's an involuntary cry of dismay that Nagi just barely manages to bite back before it can tear from him to keep from making a sound. All he can do is stare at the blue screen with a thousand errors staring back at him just long enough for the failure to sink in before a fourth set of codes appears. Tick tock.

Again, Nagi's hands hover inches above the keyboard, fingertips twitching as if prepared to launch into the fourth attempt to crack the codes. At least they would, but they aren't. In fact, he isn't moving at all. He just sits there, glaring daggers at the screen as the text bar flashes impatiently back, as if he expects for his gaze alone to set the console on fire.

It should, but naturally, it isn't. And it never will.]

[Dist silently nods at Kato's prediction as he watches Nagi struggle. He can tell the pressure is getting to the boy, especially as the countdown to another self-destruct sequence continues to shrink.

By the time Nagi suddenly stops, his smirk has faded into a frown. He expected Nagi to have an extremely hard time with these codes, but this sort of end result wasn't exactly what he was expecting. From the amount of fails he's gone through so far, Dist estimated Nagi had at least a few more tries before the codes would become virtually impossible to crack with the time limit. So why...

Surely he couldn't have cracked already?]

What are you doing, Nagi? Don't tell me you've given up. The least you can do is say you've given everything you've got and not quit when you still have plenty of chances.

[He sounds pretty annoyed, in all honesty. Normally he wouldn't think one way or the other. It's Nagi's own fault if he doesn't have the skill to beat Dist and Kato's security system. But Dist also feels like he has a little bit of a stake in Nagi actually winning. He saw potential in the boy, even speaking highly of him to Kato, something he doesn't normally do. If Nagi fails, it'll make him look like he has a bad judge of character, and he doesn't like the thought of that.

So naturally this is more about Dist's ego than Nagi's own well-being. Go figure.]

Edited 2014-10-27 04:08 (UTC)

[Contrary to Dist's frustration, Kato actually appears rather calm in the face of Nagi's apparent surrender. Pensive, almost. Reaching over Nagi's shoulder, his presses his fingers against five seemingly random keys. After a few seconds of pressure, a text box suddenly appears on the screen.

TEST PAUSED
> CONTINUE
> EXIT

Once that's done, he moves around the desk so that Nagi can see his face, crossing his arms over his chest and failing to hide his amusement and subsequent smirk.]

It seems that was a bit too much for you. Don't worry; it's to be expected.

[Shifting his attention to Dist for the moment, Kato raises his eyebrows and smiles in a "I've got this" manner, leaning his hip against the desk. The boy had managed very well against the simpler, more textbook security from the beginning of the test, but once the two of them had begun to show off their advanced code, inspired by Kato's technology from Metro City, he'd been completely swamped.

It was telling, in a way; Dist had mentioned that the boy was a prodigy, but he didn't seem to have a hope of beating the powerful lock Kato had nicknamed 'The Roulette'. He trusts Dist's opinion, so he firmly believes everything he's told him about Nagi...that can leave only one conclusion, provided his hunch about them being from similar sorts of worlds is correct.]

Tell me, Nagi. All the technology that we use here, in Johto...do you have all this, back in your home world?

[In spite of himself, Nagi's breath quickens a bit at Dist's berating, quickly snatching his hands back from the keyboard to settle into his lap when Kato starts to type. He can't do anything but sit there, sit and stare blankly at the computer as he snaps back to reality, an icy wash of anger and shame threatening to swallow him the longer he sits. Seeing that smirk on Kato's face doesn't do him any favors, and his gaze very quickly flicks down to the floor once he's standing across from him.

It seems that was a bit too much for you. No, it wouldn't have been. It shouldn't have been. If he had his powers, he would have gotten through in ten seconds. He would have killed to have seen the alarm in their expressions.

For a long, tense moment, he says nothing.]

No.

[His hands ball into fists that slightly tremble on his knees.]

No. We have computers. ...but nothing like this.

[And after that, he completely clams up and says nothing more.]

[Dist can't help but huff at that, though he largely remains quiet because of Kato's silent signal to him. If Kato wants to talk Nagi through his failure, by all means! So he stays behind Nagi, arms crossed and sulking in contrast to Kato's smirk.

This entire situation just irritates him. Foreign technology or no, a true prodigy would be able to adapt to any situation and come out on top. True prodigies are practically without flaws. Jade was a true prodigy; the only reason he failed at one particular thing was because he literally wasn't born with the genetic makeup to pull it off. Someone who claims to be a prodigy will always be held up to those standards in Dist's mind.

What Nagi's doing now, giving up...it's practically offensive to the concept of prodigies.]

So I was right, then.

[If it were possible for his smug levels to rise, they totally just did. He was right? Naturally~

...anyway, Kato falls silent for a moment, contemplating both his sulking boyfriend and their trembling little test subject. Now that he can make a few assumptions about the level of technology in Nagi's world, everything is becoming a little clearer. Really, if anything, he's actually more impressed than he was before; if technology really is simplistic back where he originates from, the fact that he was even able to get this far in the test is worthy of congratulations.

...

...Dist doesn't seem to think so, however, and Kato isn't exactly going to start clapping Nagi on the back when his partner is looking so annoyed with the entire situation.]

Well, despite tripping at the finish line, I don't think he did too badly at all. What about you?

[The question is directed at Dist - time to see what his thoughts really are.]

[The way Kato asks Dist that is worse than if he came over and physically struck Nagi for his efforts. Still though, he sits there in silence and says nothing, not looking back up at either one of them again. He doesn't dare look at the computer, either, not wanting to even see the paused test, knowing that he likely only had a minute or so to complete that fourth failed attempt.

Instead he remains totally silent, on the verge of completely shutting down to avoid any further complications. This was a complete disaster, and suddenly he just wants to be anywhere but here.]

[Dist doesn't answer right away, instead looking down on the trembling boy in front of him. The more he studies this in silence, the more he considers everything that happened today. Nagi did give up, and Dist is forever going to be annoyed about that, but he also blew through the low and medium difficulty locks without much trouble despite his lack of knowledge of the technology.

He can tell Nagi doesn't feel good about being defeated by their security system though, and that maybe earns him a couple points. It's good when someone realizes they messed up and regrets their actions. Plus, he was able to remain fairly composed up until the end despite his frustration...

Finally, if even Kato—extremely critical as he is—feels Nagi performed decently despite his screwups...

Maybe just this once he'll have to cast his personal problems with it aside.]

I suppose you're right. He excelled at the easier locks, and even those were tough enough to keep seasoned hackers out. Not an easy feat, especially decoding them in the time frame Nagi did.

[He's...trying, but it's hard to not sound bitter at the same time.]

[It's rather obvious to Kato that, despite his words, Dist is still rather aggravated about this whole affair. To his credit, however, he seems to be keeping it in check. They can talk about this once Nagi is out of the picture, after all, and he'll be able to vent all his frustrations properly.

Besides, he's starting to grow rather tired of Nagi's strong-and-silent routine. He's good at answering when spoken to, admittedly, but Kato would like to see if he's capable of answers that don't border on monosyllabic.]

How do you think you went with that? Give us some feedback on your performance - what was easy, what you struggled with, etc. If we're going to employ you, we need to know what your strengths and weaknesses are.

[This time, he's obviously directing his question at Nagi, tilting his head down so that the boy will be able to see his eyes through his glasses. The test has allowed him to get a glimpse of Nagi's abilities, of course, but he'd like to see what he has to say for himself.]

[As to be expected, he doesn't answer promptly. Mostly because he's still coming down from the stress of the test, the sweat on his face growing cold as he sits there uncomfortably, working to pull himself into something impassive and stony. Something that can't be so easily seen through and judged. And when Nagi shuts down, he really shuts down.

His expression is hard to read now as he keeps his attention on the computer, his chest rising and falling steadily as he slowly gets his breathing back to normal. Those glittering blue eyes of his are hard to see now, too, both averted and slightly shrouded by the lock of hair trying hard to hide them.]

It...is like you said. The first locks were easy. I did fine, to...start.

[Nagi responds stiffly, emotionlessly almost. It's clear that he's keeping his emotions tied down somewhere, leaving little else to be read from his body language alone.

The truth is, he can't do this as well here. He's not used to using these computers with his hands, or even so much relying on his eyes or sense of touch alone. Before, he didn't even have to move. This was the first time he had tried something like this without telekinesis to aid him.

It was jarring, and he didn't like it.]

I nearly had those codes solved every time. I...just ran out of time.

The last ones...were difficult. Very difficult.

[His voice jumps in his throat at the end, and he stops again, saying nothing more. It's only a half lie, but one he has to tell. He just...can't crack those codes.]

[Dist watches Nagi closely as he makes his case, as if he's looking for any more potential signs of weakness. But he's not finding many- the boy is quite skilled at keeping his emotions in check for the most part, as he observed before.

His gaze briefly shifts to Kato, showing he's struggling somewhat to remain neutral on this, but he eventually takes a moment to just...breathe. Be professional here, Dist. Be the ever-capable Division Head that you are.]

It's true, you did come close on several occasions. [Both he and Kato could tell that from watching.] And that is more than many can say.

Though from what you're telling us, your weakness seems to lie in the final stretch. You do not perform well when placed in a high-pressure situation, is that it? From what we observed, you simply shut down when the pressure became too great for you to handle.

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